System for Confirming Hit Locations on Tennis Court Boundaries

ABSTRACT

The present invention is an article and process for determining the site of impact of a movable object on a treated surface, where a tennis ball is treated with a striking composition, and a boundary line region is treated with a receiving composition such that when the striking composition and the receiving composition are in physical contact, a colorimetric indicator is left on the receiving composition to indicate the point of contact.

INDEX TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/738,826 filed Apr. 23, 2007, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/745,284, filed Apr. 21, 2006,the disclosures of which is incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tennis courts and other sports use well-marked boundaries to definewhether a ball is in play or out of play. If any part of a ball contactsthe white line, it is in play; if it is outside of the white line it isout of play. In tennis, the boundaries are definitive for both servesand for rallies in accordance with rules of the International TennisFederation.

In competitive tennis, calls are usually made by line judges who viewfrom an extrapolation of the line being judged, and calls may beover-ruled by an umpire sitting on a chair along the net line at thecenter of the tennis court. Balls may be traveling at more than 100miles per hour, and very fast observation and perception is required foraccurate calls.

Two widely used types of tennis courts are clay courts and hard courts.Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick, and can be eitherred or green. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru®“American” clay. On clay courts, a mark is left on the surface. In caseof a disputed call, the umpire may make a close-up inspection to discernthe exact location of the ball impact.

Hard courts are usually made of cement or asphalt. Hard courts use apainted finish; generally, no impact marks are left on the court surfacethat can be used in the event of a line call dispute.

Although line judges and/or umpires use their best ability to makeaccurate calls, sometimes errors happen and could happen. Many calls arepivotal in the outcome of professional tennis matches. There is need fora simple, efficient means of improving the accuracy of line calls.

The Cyclops®, Mac Cam®, Hawk Eye®, ShotSpot® and Auto-Ref® systems havebeen tried. Cyclops® (William Carlton, Malta) uses a periscope systemoperated by two people per line, and it gives a personal line of sightvery close to the boundary surface. The Cyclops® evolved into a systemusing five parallel infrared beams that could be interrupted by the ballin motion, and it gives colored light response if in play and an audibleresponse if out. This system has been used only for service line calls.

The Mac Cam® (DEL Imaging Systems, LLC., Cheshire, Conn.) system useshigh-speed cameras, which can be reviewed in case of a controversialline call. This system has only been used as theatre for the T.V.audience, and has not been developed for use in internationaltournaments.

Signal Processing Systems, Inc. (Sudbury, Mass.) has developed a systemusing wires imbedded in a ribbon 0.2 mm thick that is placed within theboundary, perhaps over-coated with the paint of the court. Ball hits onthe ribbon sends an auditory signal to earphones being worn by the lineumpires, but steps by players give more of a crunch sound.

The Hawk Eye® (Winchester, England) system uses up to nine high-speeddigital cameras with computer software to track and map the impact pointof the ball. Each camera is connected by a digital video cable to acomputer; an impact point is displayed on the video screen at theumpire's chair or on a large T.V screen within the stadium for publicviewing.

The philosophy of tennis calls presently leans in the direction ofhaving live individuals make the calls, with opportunity for disputing acall immediately, as is done on the few clay courts presently used forprofessional tennis matches.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) (London, England) haspublished a detailed list of requirements for automated line-callingsystems (“Automated Line-Calling Systems: ITF Evaluation, ITF TechnicalCentre (February 2005)). In short, any new system must improveconsiderably upon the 40-mm (1.6 inch) best accuracy of human lineumpires and it must not affect normal play in any manner. An instantcall is desired, audible to umpire, players and audience.

The International Tennis Federation has recently approved anelectronic/optic system for ball tracking that gives a historical recordof ball location and impact, which provides a means for reviewingdisputed calls. This is an elaborate and expensive system forinstallation and operation.

However, the majority of tennis courts cannot use many of thesesophisticated and expensive systems. There is a need for a reliable andrelatively inexpensive system for determining the impact position oftennis balls on a tennis court.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a process and method for determining the impactposition of a tennis ball on a tennis court. The present invention alsorelates to the manufacturing and/or treatment of a tennis ball with astriking composition such that the striking composition does notdiscolor the hands of a user or any equipment. The striking compositionis preferably a chemical composition that will create a color metricchange on a tennis court in those areas that are treated with areceiving composition.

In one embodiment the striking composition is acidic and the receivingcomposition is basic. Alternatively, the striking composition may bebasic and the receiving composition may be acidic.

The modern tennis ball comprises two major parts, the inner core and theouter fibrous cloth covering. The inner core is constructed of twohalf-shell pieces of formed rubber, which are joined together withadhesive to form a single core. Two dumbbell shaped pieces of cloth areattached to the ball core by adhesive. The thickness and density of theball cloth is matched to the court type for which the ball is designed.Current ITF regulations imposed by the ITF restrict the color of theball to yellow or white and the seams of the tennis ball must bestitchless. Strict limits are also in place for the mass and diameterfor tennis balls. Because of these strict limits, the present inventionmust not add size, prohibitive mass, or change the color of the ball tobe used.

The tennis ball of the present invention may be prepared in manydifferent ways. The fibrous cloth outer covering comprises felt fibersthat may have the striking composition incorporated into the felt beforethe ball is manufactured.

Alternatively, the felt fibers of the tennis ball cloth of the presentinvention may have the striking composition applied after the ball ismanufactured. Application of the striking composition may be in anymanner as is known in the art that may include any type of sprayapplicator and/or brushes, such as paintbrushes.

Further contemplated in the present invention, is a receivingcomposition applied to the upper, or exposed top surface of aconventional tennis court on each of the boundary lines and on theregions adjacent to the boundary lines. Application of the receivingcomposition may be in any manner as is known in the art that may includeany type of spray applicator and/or brushes, such as paintbrushes, paintrollers and the like. Alternatively, the receiving composition may beincorporated into court paint and coatings to be applied to the courtwhen the court is painted and marked.

The present invention provides for a mark that is created when the ball,having a striking composition on the surface, contacts the tennis courtsurface in an area in which the receiving composition has been applied.A colormetric change occurs on the court at the impact site because thecombination of the chemicals in the striking composition react with thechemicals in the receiving composition. The area on the court where thecolor change has occurred may then be examined by players and/or tennisgame officials to determine if a tennis ball landed in bounds of out ofbounds. After observing the location of the color change, and decidingif a tennis ball landed in bounds of out of bounds, the color ispreferably removed with an environmentally and human friendly solvent.Alternatively, the mark may be removed with a brush, broom, or cloth.

Also preferred, is that the removable composition of the line of themark from a specific spot does not remove the receiving composition tothe extent that a subsequent strike would not be visible. This wouldrequire reactivation of the area.

Also, contemplated would be the ability to apply additional receivingcomposition to reactivate an area where the receiving composition haschanged color due to contact with the striking composition.

Also, contemplated in the present invention would be the use of polymersand possibly polymers conjugated with dyes or color metric chemicalindicators that would be applied to both the ball and surface when usedin applying either or both of the striking composition and the receivingcomposition respectively.

The present invention uses a leuco dye. A leuco dye is a dye whosemolecules can acquire two forms, one of which is colorless and one thathas a color. A leuco dye, by definition, changes color with a change ofpH, a transition somewhat akin to that of color indicators used fortitrations in chemical analysis. More particularly, the color transitionis also used for carbonless carbon paper, and a review of thistechnology can be found at www.carbonless.org.

An example of the color change characteristics of a leuco dye is CrystalViolet Lactone (CVL), which in its lactone form is colorless or slightlyyellowish, but in low pH, when it is protonated, it becomes intenselyviolet as a result of the low pH.

In one embodiment, the present invention uses the ability of a leuco dyeto transfer and change color quickly upon contact with a coatingcontaining an acid or an alkali, thus providing a color change in thecoating.

The color change in the system of the present invention marks the pointsof impact and displays an impact pattern of the spot where the tennisball impacts on the court treated with a receiving composition. Thisprovides a marking that is visible to the line judge, the chair umpire,the players and the audience (live and by television).

A number of embodiments have been found to be effective for thismarking. A number of dyes and coating formulations have been effectiveto varying degrees.

In one embodiment, a preferred coating uses 91% isopropanol solvent withsalicylic acid as the key ingredient and polyvinylpyrollidone (PVP) asthe binder. These are selected for fast evaporation and drying, sinceplay will continue soon after application.

Both the salicylic acid and PVP binder are sufficiently soluble in waterto be removed from the court.

Further, ammonia may be used for decoloring balls after marks. It ispreferred to use an alkali to neutralize the bit of acid that transfersto the ball upon impact with the treated court surface. This may beaccomplished using a vapor phase such as ammonia or perhaps a hydrazine.Alternatively a solution may be used, but would get the ball wet with analcohol or water, and may require additional time and heat for drying.

The invention may be carried out using technology similar to carbonlesscarbon paper image transfer. Carbonless carbon papers are of twodifferent types, micro-encapsulated and multi-coated.

Micro-encapsulation is a process in which tiny particles or droplets aresurrounded by a coating to give small capsules with many usefulproperties. In its simplest form, a microcapsule is a small sphere witha uniform wall around it. The material inside the microcapsule isreferred to as the core, internal phase, or fill, whereas the wall issometimes called a shell, coating, or membrane. Most microcapsules havediameters between a few micrometers and a few millimeters.

In carbonless carbon paper, the transfer system uses an encapsulated dyesolution and an acidic medium on a single paper. The pressure of amarking breaks the shell of the microencapsulation, which allows the dyesolution to contact the acids and thus to change color. Acidic claysand/or (usually) phenolic resins cause the change of pH and the changeof color. This type of carbonless carbon paper is subject to smearing ormarking during machine processing or handling.

A second type of carbonless paper uses two different coatings, one onthe back side of the top paper and one on the front side of the bottompaper so that a mark is made only when the two papers are in pressuredcontact with one another. The microencapsulated dye is usually placed onthe second paper, and the acidic clay/resin formulation is placed on thefirst paper. Both the dye and the acidic systems are usually applied tothe paper from aqueous suspensions.

In both of these carbonless carbon paper systems, the dye ispredissolved in a solvent (usually a hydrocarbon oil) and it ismicroencapsulated within a shell of gelatin or other polymer. CrystalViolet Lactone (CVL) is the most common leuco dye, and it gives abluish-purplish color in its transition from neutral to acidic form.

The present invention can use leuco dye encapsulated within a shell thatis strong enough to survive foot traffic on a tennis court. In thisinstance, the dye and an acidic medium are combined within the coating.

A preferred embodiment uses the dye within and on the fibers of thetennis ball and it uses a coating on the tennis court that is of acidicor alkaline pH. A number of dyes and coatings have been found effectivein this combination as discussed in the Examples below. Preferred dyesshow a color distinction against green, blue and white coatings that areconventionally used on hard athletic surfaces; these preferred dyes areyellow, orange, red and black colors, and intensity of color is alsopreferred.

In alternative embodiments, the present invention may be used in anysetting where an impact point need be determined for a movable object,such as a ball, especially when some type of boundary line is involved.This may include, but would not be limited to baseball, basketball,football, soccer and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a standard tennis court with a circular sectionenlarged and shown in detail.

FIG. 2 is an imprint made by a tennis ball, the imprint is left on aportion of the boundary line and on the area inside of the boundaryline, where the ball landed “in bounds.”

FIG. 3 is an imprint made by a tennis ball, the imprint is left on theoutside of the boundary line, where the ball landed “out of bounds.”

FIG. 4 is an imprint made by a tennis ball, the imprint is left on theboundary line and on the area outside the boundary line and isconsidered “in bounds.”

FIG. 5 is an imprint made by a tennis ball, the imprint is left withinboundary line, and is considered “in bounds.”

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of the surface of a hard tennis courttaken along line A-A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 shows a detail of the felt of a tennis ball.

FIG. 8 is similar to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5 showing an alternative view ofa boundary line with a ball marking represented by the shaded portion ofthe drawing, contrasting with both the white line and the backgroundcolor of the court.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A standard tennis court 10 has playing surface 18 that is bordered bybase lines 11 on two of the four sides. Base lines 11 intersect at rightangles with each of singles side lines 12 and doubles side lines 13.Service lines 14 are between lines 12 and are connected by centerservice line 15 that is a perpendicular bisector of each of lines 14 andextends under net 16 between each of service lines 14.

Each of lines 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 are boundary lines and aresimilarly treated. In one preferred embodiment, the court is treated asfollows:

To the outside of Baselines 11, apply the receiving compositionapproximately 6 inches outward from the line (see FIG. 1 enlargement,region B), baseline 11 is 4 inches wide (see FIG. 1 enlargement, regionA), receiving composition is applied over baselines 11; and insidebaseline 11, apply the receiving composition approximately 4 inchesinward (see FIG. 1 enlargement, region C). FIG. 1 is not drawn to scale.The above measurements describing application of the receivingcomposition are given by way of example. Additionally, the applicationof the receiving composition may be to any desired distance in relationto the boundary lines.

Next to service lines 14, apply the receiving composition approximately6 inches outward from the line (i.e. from the service line 14 in thedirection of base line 11), service lines 14 are 2 inches wide,receiving composition is applied over service lines 14; and insideservice lines 14, receiving composition is applied approximately 4inches inward.

Next to Center Service line 15—apply the receiving composition on eitherside of the center line 15 approximately 4 inches and over center line15 which is typically 2 inches wide.

Singles side lines 12 and Doubles side lines 13 are each treatedidentically. Apply the receiving composition approximately 6 inchesoutward from the lines 12 and 13, lines 12 and 13 are 2 inches wide,receiving composition is applied over lines 12 and 13; and inside lines12 and 13, receiving composition is applied approximately 4 inchesinward.

The ball compression itself would be approximately 2 inches whenstriking the court and therefore the distances given for application ofthe receiving composition is contemplated as being acceptable to manytennis officials.

These distances were contemplated based on the range of measurementcurrently utilized by the Cyclops® system. Currently, the Cyclops®system measures 45 cm outside the line service line and 10 cm inside theservice line.

As seen in the expansion of FIG. 1, base line 11 has a width A. Theinvention encompasses treating the surface of court 10 with a receivingcomposition. Each of lines 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 are similarly treated(although only one such expansion is shown in the Figures). A Receivingcomposition 24 is applied a distance B outside said base line 11, oversaid line 11, and a distant C inside boundary line 11. The total treateddistance of A plus B plus C is distance D, which includes the width ofthe line 11 and the aforementioned applications of B and C.

A conventional tennis ball 30 comprises visible seems and fibers. Ball30 is treated with striking composition 20. Felt ball fibers 25 havefiber dye 26 disposed thereon and further have dye on nodes 27 wherefibers 25 typically intersect. Ball 30 may have any part thereofcontaining striking composition 20. Preferably, a majority of the ballis coated with composition 20.

When ball 30 treated with striking composition contacts a surfacetreated with a receiving composition, a chemical reaction occurs due tothe interaction of the chemical components in each of strikingcomposition and receiving composition, creating a colored impression onthe tennis court. FIGS. 2-5 demonstrate various impressions left whenthe present invention is used.

As depicted in FIG. 2, impression 31 indicates the spot where ball 30has contacted surface 18 that has been treated according to the presentinvention. FIG. 2 depicts an impression 31 indicating ball 30 landed onthe inside of the boundary line contacting both line 11 and surface 18creating impression 31.

FIG. 3 depicts impression 32 whereby ball 30 contacted surface 18outside end line 11.

FIG. 4 depicts impression 33 indicating ball 30 contacted end line 11 onend line 11 and impression 33 extended to the outer part portion of endline 11.

FIG. 5 depicts impression 34 of ball 30 indicating ball 30 landed withinthe boundary of end line 11.

Court surface 18 is typically painted with conventional tennis courtpaint and coatings as are commonly used and known in the art.

Tennis courts are typically marked with boundary lines 23 standard tothe game of tennis. Receiving composition 24 is subsequently disposed onand next to each of lines 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 on surface 18.Referring to FIG. 6, surface 18 has been prepared with court paint 22,line 23, and receiving composition 24.

EXAMPLES

Examples are given as demonstrative and are not intended to be limitingthe scope of the invention.

Most of the examples used a combination of court coating and balltreatment. Objectives were to obtain clear, colorless, non-glossycoatings over conventional tennis court surfaces, distinctive colorchanges upon impact from tennis balls on the special coating, fastremoval of markings on the special coating, and no color change on thetennis balls (or easily reversible color changes).

Example 1

Schenectady® resin HRJ 40234 (SI Group, Schenectady, N.Y.) 8 ml wascombined with Schenectady® 14894 microcapsules 32 ml, and a commercialacrylic latex, Minwax® 1265K 16 ml (approximately 30% solids by weight).This material was brushed onto a dark green tennis court coating, WorldClass Athletics® #TCP065 (World Class Athletic Surfaces, Leland, Miss.)on a hardboard, target Tennis balls were hit to impact the target andmarkings were inspected and photographed. Bluish-purplish marks wereevident, with oval shapes, indicating that the single-paper system ofcarbonless carbon paper could provide a marking. However scuffs fromtennis shoes also marked the coating the same color, indicating thatthese commercial materials would not be satisfactory for use as a ballimpact marking system. We perceive that a stronger shell might be ableto respond differently to ball impacts and shoe impacts and may beworkable in a single coating system.

Example 2

An alkaline latex court coating was made with cornstarch, 5 gm stirredinto water, 20 ml. This was added to sodium hydroxide, 2 gm, dissolvedin water, 20 ml. The resultant mixture was added to MinWax clear acryliclatex, 15 ml giving a smooth white mixture, easy to brush, but difficultto spray.

Tennis balls were treated with alum mordant and then were contacted witha solution of phenol red dye, 0.5 gm dissolved in denatured alcohol, 10ml, plus ethoxyethane, 10 ml. The balls turned an orange color, and theywere rinsed five times with denatured alcohol to remove superficial dye.

Tennis ball impacts of these balls on a target with the C-2 coating gavediscernible, but not distinct marks.

Example 3

A court coating was made 0.5 grams of Crystal Violet Lactone dyedispersed in Kwal® (Kwal Paint, Denver, Colo.) brand of satin acryliclatex, 15 ml. A tennis ball was treated with a solution of salicylicacid, 32 grams in denatured alcohol, 400 ml (overnight contact, waterrinse, dried). The ball was pressed onto the CCP-6 coating and rotated aquarter turn. It made no mark on the coating. A drop of this salicylicacid solution on the coating caused color change to blue, but it wasdifficult to discern the color difference between the blue and the greenbackground.

Example 4

A court coating was made with Schenectady 14508 developer, 996 ml,Exsilon® 9 acidic clay pigment (Engelhard Corporation, Iselin, N.J.) 80gm, dispersed in 25 ml of water, mixed with MinWax® acrylic latex(Minwax Company, Upper Saddle River, N.J.) 12 ml. This off-white coatingwas applied over TCP065 dark green.

Tennis balls were treated with alum mordant (15 grams/gallon of water,heat at 150° F. for 1 hour, cool, rinse with water, dry) and they werethen dyed with a solution of Crystal Violet Lactone (CVL), 5 grams intoluene, 100 ml and ethylene glycol methyl ether, 10 ml. Solutioncontact was about 15 seconds, followed by baking at 150° F. The tennisballs had very little color change. Where contacted with a drop ofsalicylic acid solution, the color changed to blue, and microscopicexamination showed that the dye was absorbed by the wool fibers of thetennis ball.

The tennis balls with the crystal violet dye were hit at the target withthe coating of Example 4, and showed readily discernible marks on thecoating (good) and on the tennis balls (undesired, but reversible byexposure to vapors of ammonium hydroxide).

Example 5

A tan coating was prepared for better discrimination of color changeusing Schenectady microcapsule dispersion #18894, 64 ml, added to Kwal®brand of satin latex, color #8264D, 12 ml. Tennis balls were preparedusing 32 grams of salicylic acid dissolved in 400 ml of denaturedalcohol (overnight contact, water rinse, dried).

Ball impacts on this coating gave chalky markings on the target withlittle color change from the dye.

Example 6

Schenectady® 4508 developer, 96 ml, was added to MinWax clear acryliclatex, 12 ml, and was applied as a relatively clear, colorless coatingover dark green World Class Athletics TCP065 on a panel. Ball treatmentwas with CVL dye as noted above.

Ball impacts gave dark bluish coloration on both the coating and on theballs. Ball drops from 6-foot height did not give a mark. Dark marks onthe ball could be removed by exposure to vapors of ammonium hydroxide.

Example 7

Schenectady® 4508 developer, 96 ml, was added to MinWax® clear acryliclatex, 12 ml and was applied over dark green TCP065 panel. B-14 balltreatment was made with 5 grams of Malachite Green Lactone dye dissolvedin 100 ml of toluene. This solution was sprayed onto a rotating ballheld with spiders on a slowly rotating lathe. Spraying was accomplishedwith an airbrush about 4 inches away from the ball and air pressureabout 35 psi. The ball was dried at room temperature and then baked 1hour at 150° F. A drop of salicylic acid on the ball gave indication ofgood dye absorption into the felt fibers.

Ball hits on white striping paint were distinct, those on the dark greencourt were not distinct, and there was little impact marking on theballs. Balls with B-2 treatment were very distinct on white stripingpaint and fairly distinct on the dark green.

Example 8

Schenectady® dry resin #HRJ2053, 20 grams, was added to Gemini 160sanding sealer (a nitrocellulose-based lacquer), 50 ml, diluted withmethyl ethyl ketone, 10 ml and diethylhexylphthalate plasticizer 1 ml.This coating had little color or cloudiness and less gloss than CCP-7.

Impact of balls with B-2 treatment gave good color change on thiscoating.

Example 9

Salicylic acid, 10 grams, diethylhexylphthalate plasticizer, 1 ml, andSchenectady® solid phenolic resin #2053, 1 gm, were added to 50 ml ofdenatured alcohol. This gave a hard, non-glossy coating with slightlymilky appearance and sparkles from crystals on the surface.

Example 10

Balls B-2T were made by pre-dyeing tennis ball felt with a solution ofCrystal Violet Lactone (CVL), 2 grams, in toluene, 100 ml. The felt hadbeen pre-treated with an alum mordant solution, 15 grams in 1 gallon ofwater, 1 hour at 150° F., rinsed with water and dried. Tennis balls werethen made from this felt by Wilson Sporting Goods, Inc. following theirnormal fabrication process.

Example 11

Balls B-18 were made with a spray of dye solution made from NoveonSpecialty Yellow #37 (Noveon Inc., Cleveland, Ohio), 2 grams, toluene,100 ml and propylene carbonate, 2 ml. After spraying, the balls wereplaced in a ball tube for 1 hour, then they were washed with water toremove the propylene carbonate and they were dried.

Impacts with both ball treatments gave distinctive markings on whitestriping, and the yellow markings were better on green than the bluemarkings. The B-18 balls did not have any color change from impact withthe CCP-54 coating.

Example 12

Oxalic acid, 10 gm, Mantrose-Haeuser refined, decolorized shellac #R-49(Mantrose-Haeuser Company, Westport, Conn.), 1 gm, denatured alcohol, 50ml. This coating had no gloss, no color, and better initial appearancethan above examples. Sprayed onto panel for testing using airbrush.

Example 13

Treatment on ball was Noveon Specialty Orange #14, 2 grams, xylene, 98ml, propylene carbonate, sprayed, placed in ball can for 1 hour, washedwith water, dried.

Fair color distinction with impact of balls with the B-24 orange and theB-2 blue dyes. Colors faded significantly over 24-hour period.

Example 14

Oxalic acid, 10 gm, polyvinylpyrollidone K-30, 1 gm, water, 50 ml gavenon-glossy, colorless coating, slow dry. B-28 ball treatment used NoveonMagenta #16 dye, 2 gm, xylene, 100 ml, propylene carbonate 2 ml, sprayedonto tennis ball, held in ball can 1 hour, then washed with water anddried.

System gave good color distinction when swatch of B-28 magenta waspressed and turned against the coating, fair color with B-18 yellow andB-24 orange dye treatments.

The above examples all used solvent dyes. Because wool fibers areproteinaceous, they are often dyed commercially with acidic dyes. Thefollowing examples use acidified solvents that dye the felt of a tennisball with the converted color. This provides a means of quicklyconfirming that a good dye penetration has been accomplished. The dyedfelts are then converted back to their intended color by using ammoniavapor or other neutralizing chemicals.

Example 15

Alkaline chemical added to acrylic court coating, e.g. sodium silicate,sodium tetraborate, either while wet or impregnated after dry, with aphenolphthalein-type color change going from neutral to alkaline.

Because ball marks needed to be removed frequently and quickly (about 90seconds are available during court direction changes after sets 1, 3, 5. . . ) examples of color removal systems are shown. Treatment withalkali is one means of converting the dye back to its original colorlesschemistry, but residual, nonvolatile alkali neutralizes the acidity ofthe CCP coating and makes it inactive in the case of a second hit by theball in the area that has been treated. Most of the leuco dyes aresoluble in aromatic solvents and other solvents having a relatively lowHildebrand solubility parameter. Dissolution of the dye and wiping toremove it is a means of decolorizing the ball mark, if the solvent doesnot also dissolve and remove the acid in the special coating.

Example 16

Ammonium bicarbonate, 10 grams dissolved in 50 ml water+50 ml methanolwas sprayed onto ball impact marks and was dried with a heat gun withoutwiping. Yellow and orange marks disappeared quickly, but blue andmagenta colors did not go colorless.

Example 17

Salicylic acid 10 grams dissolved in denatured alcohol, 50 ml withSchenectady® phenolic resin 2053 1 gm and diethylhexyl phthalate 1 mlwas sprayed onto ball impact marks. The marks immediately became moreintense by virtue of the additional acidity and dissolution of the dye.The marks were blotted with a soft cloth or paper towel to remove thedissolved dye. The residual coating remained active for markingsubsequent ball hits.

Example 18

A commercial solution of xylene, methanol, acetone and heptane wassprayed onto ball impact marks and it was promptly blotted with a papertowel, removing the marks, but leaving the surface de-activated forsubsequent ball hits.

Example 19

Glacial acetic acid was sprayed onto a ball mark and was blotted dry.Within 20 seconds, the color of the mark disappeared.

The preferred remover/activator is formula R-19, a solution of salicylicacid, 10 grams and PVP K-30 1 gram, in methanol 30 ml and toluene 30 mlwith 1 ml of lactic acid.

These test were repeated to confirm surface activity after the removingsteps.

While the invention has been described in its preferred form orembodiment with some degree of particularity, it is understood that thisdescription has been given only by way of example and that numerouschanges in the details of construction, fabrication, and use, includingthe combination and arrangement of parts, may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A process for determining point of contact of a movable object on asurface comprising: (a) a striking composition having at least onepolymer applied to a movable object; (b) a receiving composition appliedto a surface; wherein said receiving composition produces a colorimetricindicia of contact at the point of impact where said movable objectcontacts the surface treated with said receiving composition.
 2. Theprocess of claim 1 wherein said surface is a tennis court.
 3. Theprocess of claim 1 wherein said movable object is a tennis ball.
 4. Theprocess of claim 1 wherein said striking composition is disposed on atennis ball.
 5. The process of claim 1 wherein said striking compositionis applied using an organic solvent.
 6. The process of claim 1 whereinsaid striking composition is applied using an aqueous solvent.
 7. Theprocess of claim 1 wherein said striking composition is applied using anaqueous-organic cosolvent.
 8. The process of claim 1 wherein saidstriking composition is applied to at least 5 percent of said movableobject.
 9. The process of claim 1 wherein said striking compositionapplied to said movable object is on individual fibers of tennis ballfelt.
 10. The process of claim 1 wherein said receiving composition isapplied to the inner and outer regions adjacent to boundary lines of atennis court.
 11. The process of claim 1 wherein said receivingcomposition is acidic and said striking composition is basic.
 12. Theprocess of claim 1 wherein said receiving composition is basic and saidstriking composition is acidic.
 13. The process of claim 1 wherein saidcolorimetric indicia produced by contacting said striking compositionwith said receiving composition is removable within 90 seconds.
 14. Theprocess of claim 13 wherein said removal substantially eliminates saidcolorimetric indicia.
 15. An article for determining the area of impacton a treated surface wherein said article comprises a strikingcomposition having at least one polymer disposed on its surface.
 16. Thearticle of claim 15 wherein said striking composition comprises a dye.17. The article of claim 16 wherein said dye is applied using an organicsolvent.
 18. The article of claim 16 wherein said dye is applied usingan aqueous solvent.
 19. The article of claim 16 wherein said dye isapplied using an aqueous-organic cosolvent.
 20. The article of claim 16wherein said dye is applied to at least 5 percent of said movableobject.
 21. The article of claim 19 wherein said article is a ball. 22.A method for determining the point of impact of a tennis ballcomprising: (a) treating a tennis court with a receiving composition;(b) treating a tennis ball with a striking composition having at leastone polymer; (c) contacting treated tennis balls on said treated court;(d) creating impact impression of said treated tennis ball on said hardcourt treated with said receiving composition; (e) observing thecolorimetric change at the point the tennis ball, with a strikingcomposition, contacts the hard court with a receiving composition. 23.The method of claim 22 wherein said hard court is treated with saidreceiving composition in the area immediately outside tennis court sidelines and end lines.
 24. The method of claim 22 wherein the point ofsaid colorimetric change may be removed from view on said hard court inless than 90 seconds.
 25. A hard surface comprising a receivingcomposition, wherein said receiving composition produces a colormetricchange at a point of contact with a movable article comprising astriking composition.